2006年VOA标准英语-9/11 Anniversary Observances Filled with Emotio

By Jim Malone
Washington
11 September 2006

Remembrance ceremonies, both large and small, took place across the United States Monday to mark the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone in Washington has more on the emotional toll¹ for those who lost loved ones in the attack.

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George and Laura Bush lay a wreath at the Flight 93 crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania   
  
In a rural Pennsylvania field, relatives of victims of United Airlines Flight 93 gathered to remember loved ones.

Richard Gross lost his sister when hijackers crashed the plane, as they tried to fend² off passengers intent on preventing the flight from hitting either the White House or the Capitol building in Washington.

"You never can put it to rest," said Richard Gross. "A terrible, terrible thing."

Among those paying tribute to the 40 passengers and crewmembers of Flight 93 was former Homeland Security chief and former Pennsylvania governor, Tom Ridge³.

"History will tell of these extraordinary people, who rose to defeat evil, and were released into the arms of angels to see the grateful face of God," said Tom Ridge.

In New York, at the site of the World Trade Center, known as Ground Zero, spouses⁴ and partners read the names of loved ones who died in the collapse⁵ of the 110-story twin towers.

Carmen Suarez lost her husband in the attack.

"My loving husband, police officer Ramon Suarez," said Carmen Suarez. "Honey, everyone misses you - your children, your family, especially your little girl, Jillian."

Donna Marsh-O'Connor says the loss of her daughter in the attack on the World Trade Center remains⁶ very difficult five years later.

"So, I miss her profoundly, and I know what she looked like on her final day," admitted Donna Marsh-O'Connor. "My son-in-law died a year ago, and, in many ways, I have a broken heart."

Nearly 2,800 people died at Ground Zero, and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani urged Americans never to forget their sacrifice.

"God bless all of those we lost," said Rudolph Giuliani. "God bless all of you, who mourn for them, remember them and live on in their spirit."

Vice⁷ President Dick Cheney (l) and Defense⁸ Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentagon, September 11, 2006  
  
At the Pentagon, outside Washington, an emotional Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld recalled the rescue effort, when a hijacked⁹ plane slammed into the building, killing¹⁰ 184 people.

"I remember working our way through that long, tragic¹¹ day," he said.

Reflections also came from President Bush. He spoke¹² about the personal impact of the attacks with NBC's Today program.

"My thinking about the world was changed dramatically on that day," said President Bush. "I realized that my most important responsibility, and that of all of us in government, was to protect the people."

Church services to mark the 9/11 anniversary were held in Chicago and many other cities.

Airline passengers and security screeners paused for a moment of silence at airports in Boston and Dallas.

In Ohio, volunteers placed 3,000 American flags on the grounds of a spiritual center to remember those who died in the September 11 attacks.

1 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

2 fend   

v.照料（自己），（自己）谋生，挡开，避开

参考例句：

• I've had to fend for myself since I was 14.我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。
• He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes.他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。

3 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

4 spouses   

n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句
• An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句

5 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

10 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

11 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

12 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。